Chinese investment firm KuangChi Science and mining giant Pengxin International have signed an MoU with New Zealand’s air traffic service provider for a ‘near space’ balloon venture.
Pengxin has been tasked with finding a site to launch the…
Chinese investment firm KuangChi Science and mining giant Pengxin International have signed an MoU with New Zealand’s air traffic service provider for a ‘near space’ balloon venture.
Pengxin has been tasked with finding a site to launch the so-called Traveller craft in H1 2015, and KuangChi Science CEO Zhang Yangyang said the 40m diameter, one tonne helium-filled balloon could be used to provide internet services.
“It’s a fascinating concept that has a number of potential applications, the most obvious being Wi-Fi access,” he said.
“A number of other applications have also been suggested ranging from resource mapping, traffic control, shipping communications and disaster relief through to search and rescue activities.”
According to Zhang Yangyang, Traveller will be able to carry greater and more diverse payloads than similar ventures seen recently in the US, Spain and Japan.
Google, which has been experimenting with such a system as part of its longstanding goal to deploy the internet to unserved populations, launched 30 balloons from New Zealand last year. Meanwhile groups such as Barcelona-based Zero2infinity plan to use balloons for near space tourism, as well as launching satellites into orbit.
It is unclear whether Airways New Zealand, the country’s sole air traffic service provider, is taking a stake in the project.
“Obviously there are a lot of logistical and aeronautical issues which need to be addressed before the launch which is why we are grateful for the support and advice of Airways New Zealand,” said Zhang Yangyang.
Financial details of the MoU were not disclosed and neither party was able to comment before the press deadline.
Last month Hong Kong-listed KuangChi Science said it had secured a five-year partnership with Shanghai Institute of Space Systems Engineering, a unit of state-run China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, to explore commercial projects in near space, including manned spaceflight ventures.
Its search for commercial opportunities in near space – the region between 20km and 100km above sea level – comes after a reinvention for the company that, until September, was known as Climax International and traded in manufacturing solutions for mainly paper packaging, gift items and promotional materials.
Earlier this year it was hired by Pengxin to explore space applications in DR Congo in areas including telecoms, mineral exploration, satellite TV, meteorological surveillance, space tourism, disaster detection and forest protection. The two companies are hoping to secure operating licenses for wireless communications and mineral resources exploration in the country.
